Umbrellas and Clocks, of Ticks and Tocks
by OCfan11
Summary: In which Neo is pretty sure she is in purgatory because the world resets after three days.
1. Chapter 1

Neo would never admit it, but she is scared. Thousands of feet in the air, surrounded by black as the Nevermores swarm the skies, with only her favourite umbrella keeping her from plummeting like some idiot who couldn't do her one job right. Though, if it weren't for her semblance, she'd have already been Grimm food because they. Are. _Everywhere_. Shrieking abominations of nature that won't stop _touching_ her with their inky black feathers-that-aren't-real-feathers. The world is wrong and she would be shaking from fear alone if the wind currents would _hold her umbrella still for a moment and stop throwing her around!_

So, yah.

Scared.

 _But she's more terrified for Roman._

There was a moment that will probably haunt her nightmares – if she survives _this_ nightmare – where she was thrown through the air at just the right angle to see the command ship burst into flames. And Roman – the person she was _supposed to keep safe_ – had no way off the ship. _She_ didn't even have a way off the ship until _Red_ decided to be a little _brat_ and let physics take over.

If Neo survives this, the ice-cream themed girl is going to push Red off a cliff into a Nevermore nest. See how she likes it.

Neo wishes the sky one last goodbye before the Grimm contingency swallows the last light. She is consumed in absolute horror at the _feel_ of the Nevermores moving in scattered patterns around her. Her head _hurts_ at their shrieks and screams. Her body protests _every_ _breath_ and every muscle that grips on to the umbrella like the lifeline it _needs to be_.

A long, loud noise pounds through the screams of the Nevermores and into her head. Neo gasps – inhaling the taste of dread and musk Grimm are surrounded with – as her umbrella is jerked and almost slips from her hands. Neo grits her teeth and stares at the pink-illusioned-to-be-black of her umbrella's underside as she's dragged horizontally through the air.

The loud noise sounds again. Neo shuts her eyes, not wanting to look into the black mess of Grimm she's hurtling towards. It was a good run. Maybe she's close enough to the ground she can finally let go.

The noise sounds more like a gong between the shrill cries of the Grimm. Neo wants to open her eyes, but sweat, exhaustion, and fear say a hard no to that idea.

The gong sounds.

And the screaming stops.

Neo takes a few quick breathes. When nothing else happens, she peeks an eye open. Everything is still dark, but she can see outlines below. She's still a long way from the ground. Not as high as before, but definitely not a survivable height. Neo takes a moment to breathe at the sheer incredulousness of it all. Seconds ago, she wasn't sure she was going to survive. Now, she's drifting slowly to the ground with her umbrella. Neo can't help the hiss of laughter that escapes her.

The gong sounds again, much more close this time. The woman grits her teeth as a stray breeze pushes her to the side. Neo can't help breaking into mostly silent laughter at the _relief_ zipping through her nerves. There is a walled town. A walled, _safe_ town. And, even though she's unsure about where – or how far – this minuscule village is from Beacon, Neo is too happy at seeing the Grimm-free hick town to care.

 _The moon is awfully bright tonight_ , the woman thinks a bit hysterically. _It really shines on the whole world._

The brightest is the large structure making those gong-like sounds in the middle of town. Neo narrows her eyes, before acknowledgment kicks in. It's a clock tower. And it's making that noise to let everyone know it's midnight.

 _Wait…_

Neo draws in a swift breath at the rapidly growing tower. Her arms strain as she tries to climb up her umbrella. It's not working, and her wide eyes switch between the clasp she's desperately grabbing for and the ever-growing tower that's _less than a dozen meters in front of her_.

Neo almost swears. Almost. But that would be like admitting fear. She reaches the clasp and shuts the umbrella.

Physics decides to be a cruel mistress as she drops. Gravity takes over and slams her face-first into the clock tower.

With a defeated groan, Neo peels back and drops away from the building like a rock. Dizzy and tired, the woman almost doesn't react as she lies on her back. But the moon's kind-of hard to miss.

 _Well_. Neo breathes hard at the sight of the large smiling face staring down at her. She doesn't know what's worse, a complete moon or the sinister grin.

 _If this is death, it needs to try harder._

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or RWBY franchises. The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.**

 **A/N: I've been going through my old, unposted stories and found this. I don't know… I thought it might be nice to put this up… Thanks for reading**


	2. Chapter 2

First thing's first-

 _Holy gees, what even is that moon, why is no one freaking out, oh f- what did Cinder's plan do, Roman, where's Roman, where am-_

-Neo gets to her feet, unimpressed and significantly less dazed. Priority one is finding Roman. Wherever they go from there, they'll decide. The good news is that Beacon is probably close by.

The bad news is it's probably destroyed. Evacuated. A mess after a Grimm _and_ terrorist attack.

Speaking of-

 _Why is there no Grimm?_

She's rather ecstatic about them not being an immediate threat, but those buggers are the worst jump-scares with their ability to appear when least expected. There's also the little fact that every city should be _swarming_ with them. The Vytal Festival was an _internationally broadcasted event_. The fear from at least one person should be enough to trigger something into attacking.

So, this town is either some completely backwater, middle-of-nowhere _hick town_ , or something else is going on. Neo's learning towards the latter because, no matter how… unadvanced this place is at a courtesy glance, she could not have travelled far enough from Vale for them to not know what's going on.

They're either idiots, oblivious, or something else is going on.

(The clock tower ticks onwards above her.)

Also, the moon.

Whatever she's missing most definitely ties into the creepily smiling moon.

Neo huffs a little, fixing her hair in between grabbing her umbrella. No sense sticking around. She'll hunt for a map, and then be on her way. She's been through worse than a hurdle of directional difficulties.

The _Nevermores_ were worse.

Her heels click, and Neopolitan changes into her green-eyed, Lolita girl-scout look from the tournament. She adds a bit more dress to her midriff, because many isolated towns have a _conservative_ view on clothing. Who knows, these people may not even recognize a Huntress.

The guard she passes is sleeping on the job. Neo pauses long enough to roll her eyes.

If the whole town's like this shining example, it's going to be easy to get around.

;;;

Guess what's not easy?

 _Finding a map._

Dawn comes at exactly six in the morning, and yet the moon doesn't leave. Neo is careful not to get caught leaving the completely booked hotel, having thought that it must have had a map. But no. Not the post office, not the rich person's house or town hall, not even the black market or the fort where the purple haired kid is hiding out. Nobody. Has. A _Map_.

There's not even a sign in Remnant's universal language.

Neo's sneaking suspicion of _not right_ is only growing, and now with the daylight she stands out even after changing her appearance again. These town's folk either ask her if she's here for the festival in three days or try to convince her to leave before the moon falls.

 _What the actual f-_

Neo responds with polite smiles – some with too many teeth – and ends the recon mission with more _gossip_ than _information_. Not a single person is from a spy network, and there's some tree-like person hiding in a giant flower. No one gives a second thought to that, but when she tried mimicking about Faunus they responded with Zora.

 _Again, what the actual-_

Neo is too good to show how disturbed she is by these people. No matter how much she's itching to _stab her way to answers_ , they are all truly as stupid as she had guessed. Not one person mentions Grimm, no one seems to know about the Fall of Beacon, and half of them aren't concerned about the potentially apocalyptic event of the sadistically smiling moon falling from the sky.

What she does learn from these people is which way to the beach. By going from the way she slammed into the Clock Tower, Neo hops to it and sneaks out of town. Her destination: _hopefully Beacon but definitely_ _ **not here**_ _when the moon falls_.

With the food she managed to _procure_ from Clock Town – and she thought names like Beacon or Shade were ironic – Neo ends up in a thick forest where she proceeds to be attacked by living slimes, carnivorous bats, and a Venus flytrap with a wooden stick for a stem. Suffice to say, after her illusion first breaks, Neo has no more second thoughts about taking her frustrations out on the wildlife.

There is special joy in killing the bats. She pretends they're baby Nevermores and keeps stabbing until they turn into smoke.

The smoke isn't the same as dust, but at least these things disappear after defeat like the Grimm. Some even drop items, like the Grimm. The worst part is how strangely soothing this familiarity is.

Then again, all this destruction gives her time to go over how she'll kill Cinder, her groupies, and _maybe even little Red for good measure_. Neo's smile keeps up as she imagines her revenge for everything going sideways in vivid detail. Hopefully Roman will agree and give her free reign to pay back crazy Cinder for all the success her plan's given them.

What would be more fitting: burned to a crisp or frozen and shattered?

Neo swings her umbrella, cutting through the flytrap's wood-stem like it's melted butter. She'll leave the choice up to Roman.

;;;

By the end of the second day, Neo has climbed through a dense forest, skirted around poisonous bogs, _slept in a cave_ , and _ruined_ her _boots_.

All to find a wall.

She smacks at the swirling black impassible object, her face twisted in a pissed off sneer. All this work, for _nothing_. With one last go, she throws her umbrella point at it.

The tip chips off, the wall is unblemished.

"Harrumph," Neo crosses her arms, throwing her back against the wall. She frowns at the moon, visibly falling from this angle. If she can't find a way out, she'll be stuck in the blast radius. _Whoever's stupid idea it was to bring down a moon_ -

With a sigh, Neo twirls off and gets to checking for a way around. No way is she going closer to the epicenter, the wall appears to circle, so she'll try digging a hole tomorrow if she can't find an exit.

By the mental calculations, the multi-coloured haired woman knows even at her fastest she can't run the whole circle. With the beach to the south, and no way to cross water, Neo kicks off her boots and begins running north, hand always on the wall.

 _Anyone who sees her will die._

Not using her semblance means Neo has tons of aura. Her body can last a day or two without sleep, and if she wasn't so stressed then she could go upwards of a week. Tonight is not a night to rest and mourn – _Roman better not be in this place too_ – but to find an escape.

Morning hits, along with the cold of the mountains. Her aura can protect her from the chills, but not for more than a few hours. Neo doesn't even make it that long before she reaches an impassible pit. She turns and moves back to the forest, eyeing the moon falling steadily closer.

When she's reached a decent area, Neo stabs the ground with her umbrella. Then gloves are adjusted, and she gets down on her knees to dig.

No matter how far she goes, the dark wall stretches past it.

In the dark of night, when her hole is too deep, and she doesn't have the night vision of Faunus, Neo leaps up and out. She's not giving up, just… taking a break.

From here, the moon looks hours away from crashing down. Neo debates finding a cave or something to hide in, but the reality is she won't survive one giant rock crashing into another giant rock. The wall's made sure of it.

 _Force equals mass time acceleration_ , but just how heavy is the smiling moon? Maybe she'll be lucky, and the force from impact won't reach this far out.

What are the chances the wall isn't the furthest reach of impact?

Neo sighs and gets back to digging. She doesn't have much hope, and regrets not trying the ocean while she had the time. She's gone too far to stop now.

 _Roman, you better have found a way to survive._

Neo will be pissed if she dies before taking some revenge.

For some reason, the gong of midnight can be heard throughout the land. Neo ignores it and desperately throws dirt from her hole.

When the ground shakes, threatening to bury her, Neopolitan leaps out once more to see the nose of moon crushing Clock Town. She sees the moon shift, as if it's a head, rotating to so it ends up teeth-first into the ground.

Neo smiles grimly and leans back against the impassible wall. She crosses her arms, h̡͢e̷̡r̴͢͝ ͡f͏͏i̷̕n̷͝ge͞҉r͠s ̸̛͘c̵͝l̶e̷͠n͝c͟ḩi̶ng̷̀ ͠͝a̢͞r̸͘o҉un̸̶͡d ͢͡t̡hę̷͝ ̴͜͠u͜͞m҉b͡r͢͢e͡҉̡ļl̶̨͜a͘ ̧ḩand̸͜͝l͏́e͞, and feels more than some disappointment that this is how she's going out. Not protecting Roman, not by revenge or top-notch Hunter or Grimm.

Getting killed by the moon.

How sad.

Neo has to close her eyes against the light. She can hear g̤̭̟͈͓̞o̴̤̳̗̜̳̯͎̞͘̕n͎̰͇͘͜g̸̛͓̬̗̗ͅs̷̻̖̭͈͞ ̵̩̪̬̭͇̕à̻͖̩͈͖̱̟͓̘͜͡ņ̸̖͔ͅd҉̡̥͎̮͖̩̺̙̠̖ shrieking as the world is d̸͖̟e̳͕̮̣̼̮s̬͙̰̮͈̦͠t̢͓̘r̛̬̼͔̹̺ͅoy̬̺̪̘̠é͕d̺͚͖͘  
̟̣̙a̗̟͍̯͕̹͈r̲͙̖͔͞ou̫̪n̷̦d̬͚̼̦̼͖͔͞  
ͅh͟e͕͎̣̹̺̣r̬͔̩͖͎̪͝

* * *

Y̜̻͐̆̀o̢͈̰ͣu̗̥̜̭͊̌ͧ̓̅'̯͇͕̝͖̟͋̿̆͂͘v̘ͯ̎̎̋̀e̛̠͓̞̪̍ ̯̻̲͍͙̝̇͂͂̎͒ͪ̕m͂ͭͤ̄̓e͓̻̣̩̽̊̈́͛̽ͤͤt͙̮͈͕̺͓ ̨̼͇̜̦̹̩̔ͨ̃̚w̝̼͍͓̓̎ͭ̒́̊i̺̤͔͎͋tͬ̊̽h̬̪͍ͥ̉ ͩ̇̉͛ͭ͏̗̗̬͙̩ä̯̫̘̮̝̾ͩ ͍͡ͅt̰̮̞͖̦̞͖͐ͮͭe̞͙̫͓̤̐͆̐͛ͤ̚ͅr̶̞͎̻̯͓̖̐͌͑ͥ͌r͎̆̋̅̓͒̏ì̭̝̰̺̱͉͒̐̕b͑́͆̅̅ͩ̆͏̝̳̜͍̭l̯͚̘͙̪͔̩̎͛̀̏e̶͓ͮ͌ͥ̉̐ͧ̌ ͍f͍̯̰͓̻a̮̱̫̼̱͎͖̾̒͑͐͊t͖ė̴͙̹̪͇̘̝̌̏̐͆,͇͈͍ͧ̓̕ ͉̜̱̤̳͛̋ͪh̬͎ͧ̇ͤ̎̀aͣ̐ͣ̅͆ͥ̀v̝̼̝̯̻̒ͫ̇̅ͬ̎ͫe̱͐ņ͈̦̠̥̼'̵̭͚̦̙̅̓ṱ̝͇̫̓͗͐̎̉ ̤̙̞̬ͥ͐̓ͥ̌y̛̳̺͚̝̒͊̍͌ͧͭo̘̯͓͐͑͛͒̍͊ͅű͓̰̾ͮͩͧ?͉̣̩͓͚̞̲̄̌̃

* * *

The gong sounds.

And the screaming stops.

Neo takes a few quick breathes. When nothing else happens, she peeks an eye open. Everything is dark, but she can see outlines below-

 _She's still alive._

And about to crash into Clock Tower.

With much grace, Neo fumbles to close her umbrella and drops to the ground. There's a small crater where she lands, but if that wasn't some dream there's going to be a whole lot worse in a few days.

She's got to find Roman and get out. Once is lucky, she's not betting on this second chance happening again.

Neopolitan runs past the sleeping guard, making sure to push him over as she goes. If Roman's around, best to make sure he can spot her brand of mischief. By her estimate, she has three days before there's no hope of escaping the blast. Less, if she has to carry Roman out of here.

The woman easily jumps the walled fence to the beach.

 _Let's try this again._

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big think you to RCT-5555, and Guest for reviewing! The support means a lot.**

 **Have a fantastic day**


	3. Chapter 3

The beach itself is nothing special, the cyclone in deeps waters is a bit worrying, and for some reason there is a house between the two. Since Neo isn't one of the rare people with enough aura control to walk on water, she 'liberates' a dory-canoe-like boat. She then breaks the nearby signposts to use as paddles.

As she sets out, Neo is sure to paddle away from the seagulls. A glare is sent at the large dead fish-thing they circle. This whole water adventure is making her nauseous already.

By her calculations it's going to be another few days of paddling. At least the cyclone does not appear to be moving.

(The large door with crossed swords may be something to check on if the world resets again.)

;;;

The cyclone never moves. Her aura counteracts the brunt of the sun. Neo's grumpy self is glad she isn't sweating, because wouldn't that just be the icing on top of this ridiculous experience?

Her hair is starting to _frizz_.

 _I hate this place_ , Neo doesn't stop paddling.

;;;

Stupid, colourless, _wall_.

Neo breaks through the water with a gasp for breath. She clings to the boat, angrily kicking at the thing blocking her path just to swim back and kick it again.

 _Not again_ , Neo resigns herself to floating along the wall, looking for cracks. _Not. Again._

The only consolation is that if Roman is here, he can't be having any more luck than her.

No way is she staying in Clock Town if this place does reset again. She'll 'look' for him next time. Maybe even write 'Neo was here' just to leave some breadcrumbs.

 _This place is stupid._

After three days, Neo is sitting calmly in her boat, flipping middle fingers at a falling moon that isn't looking.

"Tsk," Neo rolls her eyes _h̕͠e͡͝r̸̡͟ ̧f̷͠͠i͜n͢g̵͡e̕r̷͜s ҉̷̛cl̷͠ȩ̸̨n̛c͘hin̕g҉ ҉́͠ar̸͞͡ơ̶uņ̸̶d͏̴̢ ̷́͞t̷h̷e̷ ú̵mb͘͞͝r̸e̛l͝l҉̡̛a͞͠ ̶́h̸͞a͢n͞d̷l̶é͢_ and keeps it up _ǵ̷͟o̶͢͠ńģs͘ ̨̧s͝o̵ù̵͟ńd̕_ as before her the w̯̠͉͉̙̝͟o̸̭͍̪̥̼̬̮ͅr̘͉͙͓͘l͝҉͏̳̞͎̝̺̣̫̞d̡͏̤͓͍̮̹̖͠.̸̸͔̱͓  
̷̢͏͚͕I̱̻͇͕̹̠s̢̧̘͕̯̕.҉̥̦͟  
̴̨̬̗͉͎͙̯Ḍ̵̞͉̩͖̞͍̪e̖̰͕̬̰̼̞͔s̢̞̰͈t̶͉͘r̶̵͓̭ͅo̶̘̳̦͈̤̙̺̕ͅy͖͔̻͔̼̫̳̩͙e̬͉̱͓͕͘d͏̯̲͇͍̫͔.͈͚̪̟̭̪͖͙

;;;

The gong sounds.

And the screaming stops.

Neo takes a few quick breathes. When nothing else happens, she peeks an eye open-

 _Not. Again._

Neo drops, gracefully making a crater. Her frown turns into a grin.

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

When the residents of Clock Town begin waking up a few hours later, they are met with vandalism they can't read in every nook and cranny.

(It says: 'Roman

Come find me at the beach

Neo')

;;;

Dead fish-thing is still there, attracting seagulls.

Another fish-thing was almost dead when she went attack-first, questions-later. After swimming out of reach of her umbrella, it explains what it is doing here. Making sure the pirates beyond the massive door don't come through.

Neo smiles.

Compared to the last few days, it's easy climbing over the rockface and dropping into the boat of a pirate. Before the alarm can sound, she dispatches the person.

This place becomes perfect to release her murderous tenancies. They even have a few competent fighters, but the dual swords fighting style is the same for each person. How disappointing.

Neo also contemplates the incest or cloning that must have gone on to get all these pirate women looking the same. The positive side is that she blends in _spectacularly_ with her semblance. Whenever they try to outnumber her, Neo sneaks away under the disguise of looking exactly like the rest of them.

Exploring leads to overhearing a particular conversation about stolen eggs. It is interrupted when one of the pirate women start pleading to their leader – Aveil – to teach the intruder a lesson. Neo drops her illusion, umbrella knocking against the broken bars of a window. The three pirate women look up in sync.

Neo waves and winks.

"Get her!"

It's easy to find a way down. There are horrified gasps as Neo spears a pirate with the end of her umbrella. She draws it out just as quick, foot going on the downed person. The waiting game draws out, with the leader holding a hand out to stop her pirate crew.

"…What do you want?" Aveil begins slowly. Neo bares her teeth in a smile. "Is it the eggs?"

Neo has no need for treasure. She shakes her head.

"Something else," Aveil guesses. She draws her swords. "I can't let you live after you've attacked so many of my people."

Neo twirls her umbrella up and open. _You mad, cutie clone?_

"Alright, ladies!" Aveil roars. "Get her!"

But Neo's learned their aura is stupidly weak. Aveil may be the strongest, but not even her power measures up to a trainee huntress. Unlike before, Neo doesn't toy around.

Ignoring the carnage, Neo opens the nearby treasure chest. The device almost looks like some sort of grappling hook. A press of the button, and the woman squeaks when it activates. It seems kind-of useless.

The tank over by the wall has some small fish and a large egg. Neo tilts her head, not really understanding why this would be important. _Poachers, maybe?_

She's getting tired. There has got to be a bed around here somewhere.

 **Night of the First Day: 60 Hours Remaining**

;;;

Either the remaining pirates are too scared, or they've all cleared out ( _or Neo killed them all_ ), but her rest goes undisturbed.

If they remember her when time resets, it's not too much of a loss. If they don't remember, _even better_.

Neo awakens keenly aware of how much longer she has left.

 **Dawn of the Second Day: 48 Hours Remaining**

Time to do some exploring.

;;;

According to the man who ogled her a bit too much when she walked in, the house on the water is a laboratory. The Zoras live in an underwater area on the side she hasn't explored. Also, not that Neo _cares_ , there's been some problems fishing and some kerfuffle between the Zoras and the pirates.

She can't solve nature, and it's not like the pirates will cause any problems now.

Neo steals the same boat, same sign-paddles, and goes around the dead fish-thing. Honestly, why haven't the seagulls eaten it yet?

The woman easily drags the boat onto the dock before the floating house. She gives the weird statue a look, remembering a similar one in Clock Town and _maybe_ the forest.

She quickly leaves the floating house – madhouse – when all it seems to be is a creepy old guy muttering about some eggs. There were some cute, _teethy_ looking fish in the corner, but no reason to stick around and risk him noticing.

It takes an hour of searching, but Neo finds an aboveground entrance to the Zora's place. There is a fish lady who pays her no mind, so Neo ignores her as well.

 _Huh_. Neo blinks at the groups of fish-things. _Guess these are Zoras._

They all look like super-fish-Faunus. Gills, fins, and probably feel scaly. Somehow, they have a stage put together around waterfalls, which is way weirder. If it weren't for the incest-clone pirates, Neo would almost be wondering why so many ultra-Faunus would be fish.

Thoughts of an experimentation town grow. The human sighs. It would have been more believable if this were somewhere in Atlas. Then again, Atlas would have had these people doing free labor. Seriously though, why _fish,_ of all the Faunus traits?

Well, time to figure out what's going on.

;;;

 _The drama._

Neo walks out before she starts murdering _them_. It'd be a lot more noticeable and these people haven't done anything wrong, like being killers and thieves. It's just, _the drama_. Zora-lady who ignored her may be the mother of the stolen eggs. A couple band members are fighting, and their guitarist hasn't shown in awhile, so they can't perform. Why would anyone want to get involved with _that_?

(It's not because Neo feels pity for the eggs left behind.

No.

No of course not.)

The human ends up walking into the room where she defeated the pirate's leader. If only they had not been interrupted by the news of a murderer on the loose, she could have learned more. After much digging around, Neo ends up with a large bottle and – _very reluctantly_ – jumps into the tank of water to grab the egg.

Pulled back to dry land, Neo huffs and pokes at the bottle. _Poachers indeed_. There are other eggs in the building, but night is drawing near. Soon the third day will hit, all for this to be reset when the moon eventually falls.

Would it be worse to give this single egg back to the maybe-mother? Dump it with the scientist?

Why did she even get it?

"Hmm," Neo drops down, cradling the bottle to her chest. _Let's make the most of the last day._ Her umbrella drags threateningly as she walks through the halls. _There has to be some clothing to try._

Neo hums to the egg all night.

;;;

 **Dawn of the Final Day: 24 Hours Remaining**

What to do? Neo isn't panicking as she explores the pirate's hideout once again, umbrella in one hand and bottle in the other. Her heels click against stone, echoing in the silence. She hums to the egg, knowing even if the inhabitants remember it surely won't.

Honestly, this run-through felt like such a waste. At least she has some information out of it, but the chances of her coming back here after the next reset are slim.

One more chance for Roman to catch her at the beach. Will the others remember (do they come back after they're killed)?

Neo watches the stars with the bottle tucked against her side. _Life isn't fair_. She almost wishes she'd toyed with the pirate leader in the end.

The day ends, and the last six hours tick down. This close to the eventual fall, pressure is thick in the air.

Neo raises the bottle to her lips and whispers a lullaby.

She set it down and closes her eyes, h̷̴̡er̡͝ ̛̕f͏i̢̡n̢͞g̷͜er͜s͡͠ ̢̨̢cl̨e҉͝ņ͠c̸̀h ͏̕àr̶̶͟o͘͡҉ù̷͝n̶҉d́͞ ̶́͝t̀͞h̶̴͜e ́҉um͜b̨͜͝r͘͢e҉͟l̴l͏͜a̢҉̸ ҉͠͝h͞a̧n̶̕d̢ĺ͝͞e̛ pretending to sleep g͝o̶̕ń͘͜g̸s̛ ̛̛s̴o̷u̵͟n̨d̷̛ as the w͉̹̜̝͕̰͜o̷̦͓̪̜͍̥̜r̷̲͓̙͖l̨d̨̘̞̠̘͎.͕͠  
̗͚̙̥I̤͔͍̲̬̩͙s.̤̲  
̻͎D̖͇͚e̢̤͉̱̹͖͔s̙͈̞̰̘̻͘t̪͕̳̜̻͔ͅṛ̰̬̗̝o̻͕͖ye̲̞̞̫̬̰̺d̺̝̙.

;;;

 **6 Hours Remaining**

Roman never comes.

Every pirate is alive. Not a one remembers her. They only have four of the seven eggs they poached tucked away in their hideout. Neo methodically goes through each room and takes all four, _because she can._

It's been a long three days, but the woman is glad not to spend the end alone. At least the eggs will never remember, never ask for repeated favours.

 _Life sucks._

 _And then you-_

;;;

Neo drops.

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

Time to start in the middle and work out.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!** **A really big thank-you to Guest and RCT-5555 for reviewing! The support truly means a lot.**

 **I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Thank you again for reading**


	4. Chapter 4

Neo thought these people were idiots?

Oh no.

It's _much worse_.

There's a kind of crazy infecting the town. Not the fun crazy, either. The important-figures are fighting over staying for some carnival in three days or fleeing while they can. A woman is missing her son, but instead of wanted posters she has a mask carved to look like his face. The kids are racists, there is a _man in a green screen suit-like outfit watching the kids from above_ , and the soldiers around town are less than useless. The tree-like person is still hiding in a giant flower, though after the fish-people it's not all that surprising anymore, and there is a dog who's desperate for someone to play with it.

This is not even recounting the postman, jugglers, and _literal honest-to-goodness fairy_.

 _Science experiment gone wrong_ , Neo thinks surely (then where does that put her?) as she eyes the orangey-pink abomination hovering over the water. It's a fairy. Honestly, the next thing she knows _magic_ is going to be _real_.

What's worse is that she doesn't immediately shrug off the idea. The _crazy_ better not be infectious.

Neo brushes off the fairy's presence and continues to the hidden door. She politely knocks. When that doesn't produce results, she kicks it open.

Missing-boy with very distinctive purple hair – seriously, how lazy are these people to have not looked around the southern areas of town – tries to run past. Neo trips him and, while he's down, grabs the back of his shirt.

He fights the whole way. His little fox mask even falls off and he resorts to pleading. Neo easily holds him away from her, dumping the kid with his mother only because she's reached a dead-end on information from other sources. This turns fruitful, as apparently the boy is supposed to be a man. Some person named Skull Kid, who may be in charge of the moon falling but no one can confirm, magicked purple-hair-guy into a child.

Apparently, man-child is supposed to be getting married to the lady at the inn's front desk.

Neo's drawing the line and _never dragging the kid back here_ _again_. She gets a sick feeling even thinking about that loose-cannon of a plot still going on.

Turns out her next clue comes from the kids, who won't let other species join their gang because of Skull Kid. That bundle of angst unwinds until Neo leaves with instructions to go to an observatory.

She kicks this door down, too.

The man working the telescope seems terrified, encouraging to her to use the telescope and even guiding her sight to where Skull Kid is hanging out on top of Clock Tower.

Skull Kid may be a leaf-tree-person, and the mask is strange, but Neo's interested in what his semblance is that may be causing so many problems. Also, she's going to do worse than a beating to him if he is the cause for all her three-day problems.

Brat doesn't know who he just made fun of through the telescope. Since snooping around Clock Town, Neo's been more than itching for a fight.

And… something just fell from the moon.

This science-experiment-gone-wrong just keeps getting crazier.

;;;

Neo takes a breather as the sun sets. _All the time in the world_. Not that dying is exactly _fun_.

( _That brat had run off and when Skull Kid appears again he's going to be the test subject for the plans made against Cinder and Ruby and_ -)

Neo has reached another dead-end looking for information. She's sticking it out, because maybe Clock Town gets interesting before midnight. She cannot take another day of this. All the stealing is easy, and it isn't like they'll remember if she gets caught (they take Rupees – _loose change_ – instead of lien). No, the materials aren't the problem. It's the _people_.

The multi-coloured hair woman sighs and gets to her feet. While there's still light, she returns to fairy trapped over running water. Neo resigns to using her umbrella as a net, scooping it out and blinking flatly when it flies in front of her face.

"Please, hear my plea!" the small, orange-ish thing begs. "The masked Skull Kid has broken me apart and scattered my pieces! Please find a way to return me to the Fairy Fountain in North Clock Town."

Then the freakish-experiment _disappears inside Neo's chest_.

"Ak," Neo chokes, frantically rubbing her front. The twerp is resting against her aura, _what the heck is going on?_

Nope _._

 _No._

If she had any choice, Neo would call it quits now. She literally does not want this on her soul, so the woman trudges north. No one dares stop her, not with such a peeved expression twisting her face.

There's a cave with water she is seemingly guided to. Neo had thought nothing of it at first, but then the fairy _flies out of her chest_ and into the middle of the fountain where it is then joined by dozens of similar fairies flying out of the walls.

 _What. The. F-_

It gets weirder.

The fairies turn into a giant floating woman with leaves woven together to hide only the necessary bits. Neo falls back, legs crossing as she's just _done_ with it all. If this is magic, _actual real magic-_

"It is," giggles the giant woman, orange hair flying freely above her. "Thank you for returning my broken and shattered body to normal. May I get your name?"

Neo narrows her eyes and doesn't dare think it. _You can read thoughts?_

"I can read what you mean to say," the giant's smile fades. "I am the Great Fairy of Magic."

 _That's not possible_ , Neo's fingers clench around the umbrella's handle to keep from shaking. _Magic doesn't exist._ _Fairies are no more than unlucky insect Faunus. Who are you really?_

"Oh," the giant breathes, eyes narrowing. "You've come from a place much different from Termina, haven't you?"

Neo pauses, because she gets the sense the woman isn't talking about Termina Field.

"Termina is the land we are in," the giant elaborates. "It is not in Vale, or Atlas. It likely isn't even part of your world, Remnant."

 _Oh_ , Neo swears a lot, making the fairy frown. _I_ am _dead_.

"You're not dead."

 _No, no, it makes sense_. Neo stands up and taps her umbrella on the ground. _One does not just simply survive falling off an airship in the middle of the Grimm apocalypse. But if I'm here, then Roman's still alive, the bas-_

"You're not dead," the giant is annoyed now. "Besides, even if you did die, you would come back after the moon crashes."

Neo swings her umbrella tip out to point at the other woman. _Explain how you know that._

The giant actually rolls her eyes and uses jazz hands. "Magic."

The worst part, Neo may just believe her. _Magic?_

"I am the Great Fairy of Magic. Trust me, I know we're stuck in a time loop. I thought the masked child was helping me, and I grew careless. Someone has trapped this world in a three-day loop, meaning I return to my broken form. I am curious how you remember."

Neo blinks. _You said I'm likely in another world._

A pause. "I guess that would do it."

An even longer pause. _So, what now?_

"Now, I give you something to help you since you returned me to myself." The Great Fairy of Magic halts, not even bouncing in her floating anymore. "I know you won't heal me every time, but if you could bring my scattered self together every couple of loops, I will grant you something extra special."

Neo shrugs. _Not like I have anything better to do._

The giant lady cheers and claps her hands. "Alright then, colourful young Miss. I shall grant you magical power as a sign of my gratitude. Please accept it!"

Because this day couldn't get any weirder, the giant lady blows on her. Neo starts to float, and then gasps before the amount of pain she's in knocks her unconscious.

When she wakes up, all Neo feels is sore. She flips up a middle finger.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to be rude about it."

 _Whatever_ , Neo flips up another finger. _Tell me where I should go to look for answers, and then goodbye._

The Great Fairy of Magic thinks about it. "There are four places. The swamp, the mountains, the ocean, and the canyon. You have already been to two, have you not?"

Neo thinks about the fish eggs.

"It's not them you should be looking to. Zora having children is nothing new. No, look for unnatural weather patterns or changes in the environment. There, you are likely to find a way to contact the giants. If they can catch the moon before it falls, maybe the loop will stop."

Neo thinks this is too convoluted for a three-day experience.

"You're not wrong," the giant lady chuckles softly, looking at the smaller woman with pity. (Neo knows there is more the fairy does not say). "Good luck, colourful Miss. I'll look forward to our next meeting."

 _I won't_ , Neo waves her middle finger in goodbye.

At this point, whatever the unbelievable being of magic is withholding can be revisited later. Neo has a start of a plan, though she still likes brute forcing her way through the barrier better than relying on strangers.

(Neo takes a break to recover from what just happened. By the end of her panic attack, she's managed to convince herself it was just some crazy semblance in effect. Maybe multiple semblances, if it turns out the giant lady can take them for herself.

Neo feels much better after seeing her own semblance still intact.)

No matter what leads she has, Neo made this loop a goal to search from the middle outwards. So, in the morning, that's just what she'll do.

Time to see what happens in Clock Town at night.

;;;

 _Don't break down the door to the milk bar. Don't break down the door to the milk bar. You may need to come back here, so don't break down the door to the milk bar._

Neo is very pissed off they think she's a minor, and any illusion she puts on is denied entry.

 _Don't break down the door to the milk bar._

;;;

 _There is a hand coming out of the toilet._

Neo lifts her umbrella up high.

 _There is a hand coming out of the_ inn's _toilet._

She pauses. For all the pain and suffering she's inflicted on people, it would just be _so_ unsanitary to stab a hand coming out of a toilet.

Neo backtracks and swears she will continue doing her business in nature.

 _What is wrong with this town?!_

;;;

Working her way out means causing a few holes, finding a few holes, and seeing a ghost.

Between the rocks telling time after she hits them, musical notes carved into a cliff, and the ghostly hallucination (because when Neo stabs, people bleed) moaning about his dance, the woman is positive she was drugged, likely by the giant. Bathroom hand must have also been a hallucination. _Thank goodness._

No wonder the bar turned her away. She probably seemed high out of her mind.

Neo begins to sweat, her aura working hard to try and rid her of the poison. Somehow, she was administered a drug without knowing. Even though nothing's changing from her place on the wall – no vision or thought problems, no hearing things or flashbacks – Neo does not move until daybreak.

She explores again and, even though everything else is the same, Neo is proud to find the hallucination is gone. A quick, curious check reveals no hand in the inn's bathroom.

 _Take that_ , Neo thinks smugly, turning to the south. She has a pretty good idea on what's wrong in the ocean, but she can't walk on water. Swimming or sailing through a cyclone also seems like a terrible idea. So, to the only other explored area.

The forest.

 _Time to stab some mini Nevermores._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big thank-you to KitsuneNaruto135 and Shadyside for reviewing! The support means a lot.**

 **I hope everyone has an awesome day**


	5. Chapter 5

The forest is strange. Especially because of the awful odor the murky swamp water gives off. Neo takes a moment to not retch before holding her head up high and gliding past the stone table and owl statue. Music notes don't concern her, especially when she can't read the letters on them.

Neo almost stabs the racist tree-person shop owner, but who knows who's around to hear him scream. Or even if trees can die.

The man at the information desk is _tall_. Neo never feels short, but she knows when to pick her battles. Still, with how he's muttering about his son – pretending to be a fairy? Just… _no_ – and living in the middle of nowhere, he's likely an easy target too. Just got to deal with the tree-person outside.

Then he talks about pictographs and Neo is like, _what?_

"Huh? Is this your first time entering the pictograph contest? Well, the Swamp Tour Center is currently holding a pictograph contest. It's open to all ages, from children to adults. For nice pictographs taken in the swamp, a free boat cruise will be awarded as a special prize."

It all sounds nice, but realistically her goal isn't going to be found so easily. Still, a nice tour of the swamp – where Neo isn't the paddler – will narrow down areas to look for answers. Of course, it isn't so easy, what with the free prize being awarded after the requirement of already taking the tour. The boat cruise manager isn't even there.

Neo's grin takes on a scary point, frightening the receptionist as she leaves. Even the tree-person wouldn't fully leave the flower as her heels click and umbrella point drags against the wood. She is emotionally exhausted and does _not_ have time for this.

The so-called magic hags learn this very quickly, what with the _fetch_ quest she gets lost in the forest doing.

"Okay, okay!" the blue stoned hag cries, shaking behind her counter. "We'll do anything, just let my sister go so I can heal her!"

Neo tosses the red stoned twin over.

"Ugh, some hero you are," red-stone grumbles between sips of her sister's energy drink. "I guess you helped me from Skull Kid. I'm not grateful for it."

Umbrella point cuts into the wooden flooring like butter. The twins gulp as the dolon comes out.

Neo grins.

"I can offer a boat tour!" Neo pauses, dropping the handle back into place. The sisters breathe a sigh of relief, red stone hurrying on, "I'm the tour guide for boat tours. All I can offer you is a free tour- _unlimited_ free tours."

The young woman takes her umbrella out of the floorboards.

"Go ask the tour guide for one," red stone continues while her sister quivers. "I'll be sure to tell him you already paid."

Neo politely waves on her way out. Maybe – _just maybe_ – this little hunt of hers won't go so poorly after all. She even gets handed a pictograph box – it's such an old-looking camera that the young woman full-body twitches – to participate in the contest. It's such a nice boat ride, too. Red stone lady gets murderous enough to ram through a giant octopus. Neo wholeheartedly approves of this woman, even if she whined the whole time she was carried to her sister.

The smell in the air somehow gets worse, the waters turn purple. A couple monkeys corner them at the docks, badgering for someone to go look for their brother inside the Deku-only palace behind them. First off, what's a deku? Secondly, how are monkeys talking when they aren't Faunus? And finally, Neo turns to look at red stone but the hag is already gliding her boat away with a shout of, "Not my problem, hero!"

It's a good thing time can reset. Neo isn't above murdering past-loop annoyances. Now, time to go with the only lead.

The only human follows the animals in. She carefully skips across the floating wooden platforms, umbrella out to catch wind and keep her light and sashaying forward. The odor has burned away her sense of smell. Then, at the entrance, two tree-people appear from leaves and prevent them from entering. The monkeys scatter, Neo is very unimpressed by the Deku-only rule. At least one question has been answered, tree-people are an actual race. Almost certainly an Atlas science experiment gone wrong and left to breed.

Neo shows her appreciation with an umbrella upside their heads. Suffice to say, these delicate people are no match to high heels and baseball bat swings.

They are vaguely adorable, what with thinking they're a match for someone of Neo's stature.

"What are you doing?!" cries the… king? Neo's not to sure if this guy is a political leader or religions one, what with the nakedness and shaking. Oh well, she's not here for _whatever_ this is. "Guards! Guards! Someone stop her!"

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" squeaks the monkey she doesn't so much as untie as she rips the pole from the ground and begins carrying out. Neo rolls her eyes. No one bothers them, mostly because those who don't have headwounds are scared of breathing the same air as her.

 _Now what?_ Neo blinks as the monkeys reunite in front of the palace. Hopefully it isn't a waste of a loop; she doesn't want to have to side with the saturnalia group next time.

"We need to save the princess!" cries the monkey she saved.

 _Oh no_ , Neo realizes with dawning horror, _I've fallen into a fairy-tale_.

That, or she's dead and this is her punishment. The fictional story would make a lot more sense though, even if how she got here is a mystery. The stupid floating giant might have been right, this could _really_ not be Remnant. It might even be… an _isekai_. Then magic would be _possible_.

Neo wants to stab things again. If it is an isekai, then she can get away with it with main character powers.

 _Right, the pirates_ -

;;;

The monkey summons a temple from the swamp water using music. This, unfortunately, places a tally in the magic-is-real column. Exhausted from jumping around using aura just to get here, Neo takes five and waves the monkeys on ahead. She replays and hums the song over and over, this way she won't have to rescue the animal again to access the temple. Because she might have magic if the giant was truthful and wasn't part of the hallucination. It is disappointing she can't cast any spells. Holding out a hand does not summon a fireball. Seems like this is going to be good old-fashion hard work.

 _Ugh_.

The sun is setting by the time she gets enough power to jump across the gap. There is a green fairy hovering about the entrance just out of reach, and the insides threaten more jumping. Neo sits down for a nap. At least it's warm and not horribly offending to the nose in here.

The honest truth is that she doesn't make it far on day three. There is no motivation to actually do this temple with the loop so close to resetting. Neo is tired, emotionally drained from her anger and frustration, and has barely slept a couple hours. The monkeys have pretty much disappeared. The loneliness isn't as much trouble as the exhaustion and constant smell of poison in the air.

Neo isn't sure when the world ends, but she can feel the shaking. The walls do not crumble, and the last thing she remembers is getting bucked into the air.

;;;

Neo drops.

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

Revitalized, she starts the run to the temple.

;;;

It takes a bit too long to remember that the goal is to find a princess. As in, only remembering after cutting down someone several times her size who wields a sword just as big. Oh, and the thing summoned spiders because _this day just couldn't get any better_.

Neopolitan is pissed and not being sleep deprived means the temple reflects that with holes and scratches in every room. Her semblance is very useful with every fight. The thing has large aura pools, but everything bleeds eventually.

Only, after it bleeds out nothing happens. This is the last room in the temple, and _nothing changes_.

Neo leaves as nighttime begins, having found no secret passage or hidden room. What a waste of time.

;;;

 **Dawn of the Second Day: 48 Hours Remaining**

The young woman puts her bare foot on the edge of the water, staunchly ignoring the seagulls hovering around the fish-guy a dozen feet away. She shifts her weight and-

-sinks under the ripples.

Neo sighs and tries again. And again. _And again_.

She has time, but _ugh_ this is boring. Unfortunately, she knows from the pirate's report that a boat sent out into the hurricane killed their people. Paddling herself out is a no-go. This is probably a stupid idea too, but at least learning to walk on water is a skill she can use for the rest of her life. Some people can use their semblance for it, others must master the finer uses of their aura.

Neo has time. A lot of it, if this keeps going. It is very likely she won't get a foot staying on water this loop, or whenever she decides to practice next. It's rare for anyone to master their aura so well they can do feats like this.

Her foot falls in. Neo doesn't get frustrated. She's not looking for results, only a starting point. There are at least another three locations to scout for a way home. She misses Roman.

Water floods around her foot. Sand sticks to it. Next loop she'll go for the area between the swamp and ocean. Or maybe see if Giant Lady has anything to say.

Why did it have to be a fantasy land? Where are the Grimm?

Take down Cinder's group, or hunt down Ruby?

Neo's foot falls into the water. This time, it comes out dry. The woman _grins_.

;;;

 **Night of the Second Day: 36 Hours Remaining**

Using her semblance, Neo walks around the hideout like she's a pirate. She steals their bedding because she can. She steals the egg in their central room because she can too. It's not like she's growing emotionally attached to it. _No_ , this is just for fun.

After the first rough day and boring second, this is a lot of fun.

Neo _grins_ at the moon, thinking _you don't scare me_.

Unsettled doesn't mean fear, after all.

;;;

 **Night of the Final Day: 12 Hours Remaining**

Neo puts her foot on the rippling beach water. She leans forward for ten percent of her weight. Twenty. Thirty. Forty-

-her foot sinks under the water. It comes out dry.

Neo smiles. _Finally_.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big thank you to Battlesny, Olddantrucker, and Kyle for reviewing! The support means a lot.**

 **I hope everyone has an awesome day**


	6. Chapter 6

_You don't scare me_ , Neo thinks as her heartbeat picks up with her breathing. Every instinct screams to run, but she watches it with one foot flat on the water.

 _You don't-_

;;;

Neo drops.

 **Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining**

;;;

The fairy trapped in the burlap sack struggles futilely. With a skip in her step and an award-winning smile, it's thrown inside the giant's fountain.

Wiping her hands of the problem, the woman cheerfully gets ready to smackdown the guard at the nearest exit. She said she'd help the woman gain her form again, not that she'd stick around. Neo really isn't in the mood to be dealing with people. Or evading them. No one's around to hear her quick whap with the umbrella except another guard, but she's long gone into the wild area beyond.

Now, some people may see a path's name is Milk Road and laugh. Others may go down said road and find more stone tablets and time-teller rocks, and the weird green creeper flying by a balloon in his pants. Neo – she can't exactly read the language – is not laughing. Especially not when the only open path leads her to two men eyeing her like the next bank robbery.

Neo smiles and swings her umbrella up onto her shoulder. She may not be smooth like Roman, but she understands _thief_. It's turned out to be a rather… _universal_ language.

"You lost, lass?" one drawls

"Maybe she wants to race," says the other.

"Not without a horse she can't."

Neo grins. Waves. Turns away. She'll need to come back when she understands the world better. Maybe have some _incentive_ to bring them on as lackies. She always disagreed with Roman's need to include other people in their dealings, but some backup would be nice.

She twirls the umbrella, knocking the clay from her boots.

It might make her a hypocrite, but it's not worth losing sleep over. Neo doesn't trust anyone here, but she trusts everyone has a price. Maybe a test to see if those guys can steal from the pirates as well, then they'd be worth her time.

"Ah, sorry Ms." The man pickaxing the large boulder stops at her approach. "Someone was up to some no-good business and blocked the road to Romani Ranch. I'm sorry. I'll remove it quickly."

Neo purses her lips at the mention of a ranch – it's a little too similar to d̶o̷̡͘n̢̧'̴҉͞t ̶́t͡h̴͏͞i̸̧n͏̧k͞ ̴͢a̧b̛o̢̢ų̕t̷ ̀i͝t͘͜ – while she steps back. Some people face an impassible object and try to find their own way through. Why do that when it's possible to _go around it_?

Neo jumps. Opens her umbrella and glides easily to the dirt. Continues on like she didn't just blow the mind of the man spending his next three days trying to crack open the rock.

Everything is as normal as these last few days have gone. All up until she reaches the ranch entrance. Here, Neo pauses and-

 _Best not to think about it._

-breathes a little unevenly as she strides forward like she own's the place. Rolling hills, green and spacious. There's room for plenty of things on the property, but it's too bare. There is a single, angry dog that takes one look at her and runs away with its tail between its legs. She follows it to a house where a strange balloon floats up and down.

Neo catches and snaps the arrow flying past it in one smooth motion.

"No!" wails a… a reddening-orange haired girl with Roman's chin. Neo is frozen, wondering… well, this is just a gender swapped little Roman in front of her. With blue eyes instead of green. It hurts to think that maybe Roman- but no. No, it can't be true. She would have known, and he's still in Remnant. He wasn't isekai-ed too. "My arrow! Why did you do that!"

 _Goodness_ , the kid even whines like he used to. Neo shuts down the hurt and rage, mimes the arrow hitting her so deadpanned that the child apologizes.

"I am Romani," says female kid Roman. Neo holds strong until, "I was given the same name as the ranch."

Neo keeps smiling, umbrella tip out and tearing a hole in the ground unnoticeable to the child. Stupid Roman, stupid _world_. The onslaught of memories and fears suck, but at least the ranch wasn't named Torchwick. She would have had to start searching for his grave and necromantic techniques, all so she'd be able to _kill him herself_.

The final nail, that this is either Roman's descendant or a truly awful afterlife penance, is that when baby Roman asks for her name and the woman signs back-

"Neo!" baby Roman smiles and cheers. Only the umbrella keeps the woman standing. "Like the special ice cream big sis makes! You look like the colours! I'm calling you Neopolitan."

Just rip her heart out, why don't you?

"You…" big wide eyes, blue not green, "You're strong and fast! You could help Romani! Tonight…" baby Roman clenches her hands around her bow, strange pointed ears twitching. " _They_ are coming… They come at night… every year when the carnival approaches… They come riding in a bright shining ball. A whole lot of them come down…"

But Neo's flashbacks are dark. Grimm, not whatever the child describes. Neo isn't a hero, isn't helpful, but even she knows what the end results will be. Can see too clearly how this tiny Roman isn't experienced enough to handle creatures stalking the night. And she can't- Neo can't-

"My older sister won't believe me…"

Neo signs, _I'll help_.

The girl doesn't understand it, so she mimics punching. Motions to the bow. Tiny Roman _lights up_.

So Neopolitan gets the instructions, shows and teaches the kid some self-defence. All knowing full well that this will be erased in the next reset. That's the worst, it will all be erased. She can't stop baby Roman from being traumatized every time, but at least once let the girl have a safe night.

Neo will not be returning here. Not ever, if it can be helped. Too many memories she doesn't want to relive.

But if Romani looks like Roman, the older sister Cremia looks like an orange haired version of _his mother_. Neo sticks around only long enough to destroy the hope that the way to town is open. Then she does a perimeter, freaking out where no one can see.

It is too soon for her to think Roman might be dead, but it's time to start the doubt. The airship exploded, he hasn't made noise or responded to her writings, and with this either being another world or the afterlife… either he's dead or Neo is.

It's been a while since she's felt pain like this. Only this time, she is well and truly alone.

This time, Neo will have to pull herself out.

 _This. Sucks._

;;;

The little girl runs into the barn at two in the morning. Neo sits on the crate outside, bored. Really, _really_ bored with an anxious need for violence running under her skin. She wants to move. To stay still means to think more on the situation, and she's already a mess under the carefully crafted illusion.

It takes. Thirty. Minutes. The ball of light the girl talked about comes from the sky and drops off creatures with long clawing hands. Skeletal in appearance, hovering, drifting their way towards the barn. Beams of light coming from their eyes, groans and cackles from their throats.

Neo. Feels. _Rage_.

Their moans do not chill her. Their screams cannot stop her. The woman is filled with sick, gleeful anger as she destroys the monsters – the _not_ _Grimm_ – with all the pent-up aggression of reliving some of the worst moments in her life. In her eyes, these are not just monsters.

They are Apathy.

And they stand no chance against _her_.

Dawn comes and takes the things. In the coming rays of light, Neo still isn't sure what these creatures are. Continues her attack even while the ball of light comes down and grabs its monsters. Eyes switch to white and brown as it almost blinds her, taking back the last reappearing victim.

Baby Roman opens the barn doors and cheers. She races across hills and fields to where Neo stands, huffing with simmering rage. The attack on her leg startles her, the umbrella stopping mere inches away from the girl.

"Thank you!" is all Neo manages to catch from the screaming praise against her leg. The woman pries tiny Roman off by the back of her dress, setting her down with thin lips. She refuses the girl's empty bottle reward, and baby Roman nods a bit more serious. She turns to go wake her sister but pauses at the last second. "See you later… Ms. Hero."

And Neo, absolutely _done_ with all these emotions, books it out of the ranch before any other reminders of her past crop up.

Maybe it's time to search the other side of this world. Surely it can't be as awful as this place.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! A really big thank-you to Shadyside for your review! The support means a lot.**

 **I hope everyone has a fantastic day**


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